I am Mohamed Osman, 24, from Mogadishu, Somalia: a fourth-year student pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in agriculture. My ambition is to improve my country’s agricultural sector, starting after I finish my studies.
I feel that my people and my country needs more than I can contribute. Though my country is in political turmoil and insecure, I always have in my heart and share with my friends, ‘No national security without food security!’
Together with my classmates, we have created an association that is called Somali Agriculture Students’ Association (SASA). It was created for improving the agricultural sector of our country for better production and sustainable economic growth.
To be honest, one of the supportable activities we are planning to contribute to our community can be this YAP2016, as we strongly believe that this can be very important opportunity to Somali people who are fed up with famine and drought.
We are going to carry out the Somali maize revolution with the help of YAP2016.
The goal of the Somali maize revolution is to increase productivity per unit area through improved maize seeds, distribution of fertilizers, improving cultural practices, transfer of technology, and integrated pest control strategies.
This creativity will target all maize growers, from small-scale farmers to large farmers that are intending to produce more than the current production.
The project will emphasize mainly maize growers in Afgoia district by giving facilities to farmers through the raising and selling of good-quality seedlings, project planning management, and marketing of agricultural produce in Afgoia district.
In Future, the initiative will offer weekly consultancy services in plantation against deforestation, which has a great impact on our country.
The project will improve the power of voluntary activities and self-commitment in our community, especially amongst the youth and students; increasing communities’ returns through the production of high-yield and quality seed products.
The Somali maize revolution project is intended to be the source of improved maize seeds of Somalia, centre of multiplication of maize seeds, fertilizer distribution, and pest management control centre for maize farmers throughout the country.
The project is planned to be carried out on two hectares of land with different trials that are available now for fulfilling all required maize cultural practices, such as land preparation with usage of soil amendments, such as DAP-di-ammonium phosphate (because there is a phosphorus deficiency in the area), weeding, irrigation, control of diseases and pests, harvesting, and post-harvest technology.
What inspires us for this better maize cultivation project is that within the period of our project, we will be able to reduce the low production of maize, increasing the productivity of maize for human consumption, as well livestock feed, if necessary, and combat against disease and pest management, promoting good harvest technology.
Also the project will lead to employment opportunities for rural youth, who are the workforce of agriculture in the area. And it will also assist some of internally displaced persons (IDPs), who are living in hardship, as we will distribute some of what we will produce.
Our community will profit from learning new technology of maize production, farmers will get seed which is viable and high-yielding, and also we will be able to satisfy with some IDP farmers in camps on Mogadishu’s rural outskirts, in order to re-start farming again.
Some of the steps we will undertake are listed here:
- We will train farmers in the agronomy of maize, by showing the tangible results after the first cultivation of our project.
- We will distribute the fertilizers and other organic manures and teach them how to use it.
- We will help in the best way to control the pests and disease.
- Our products will source of seed multiplication and some will be granted to the poor people.
Future Plan
Our vision is to see smallholder farmers being actively involved in viable income generating programmes launched by our association, and to create a food-secure environment for our community.
The USD 5,000 funding will be spent on:
- Logistics and administration planning procedure costs will estimate USD 800.
- USD 500 input for quality maize seeds, herbicides, and insecticides.
- We will hire land for the production at cost USD 500 and also land preparation, and ploughing with a tractor from the local community, USD 300.
- As irrigation water will be necessary, water pumping from river is estimated at USD 300.
- USD 200 for well fit inorganic fertilizers.
- USD 1000 will spend different labours (fixed and when required).
- USD 1000 hiring place for product storage and communication for market information.
- USD 100 will be the activity of organic manures.
- USD 300 will be cost of seminars and workshops.
Blogpost and picture submitted by Mohamed Osman (Somalia): mohamedshukri2[at]gmail.com
The content, structure and grammar are at the discretion of the author only.
This post is published as proposal #241 of “YAP” – our “Youth Agripreneur Project”.
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thanks bro thats is good approach and keep improving your people
i will do my best for improving such activity and thanks for your comment my friend Fitax
thank you mohamed
really it gives good feel when i see youngages trying to do best to their people
Masha’allah dear brother congratulation for your project actually am very glad to see this proposl towards agriculture keep it goin insha’allah you i’ll success.
Good Lucky
thanks bro Muudey and your comment inspires to move forward and dare to everything possible
Great project
i hope u to be the selected one
Muhamed, I’m truly inspired by the motives and breakdown of the expenditures. I wish you nothing but best of luck. Somali needs this and InshaAllah you will be granted.
thanks to all my friends and this will give lots of motivations for moving forward
thank mohamed,
keep going you and your friends . you are the youth those tomorrow will responsible to improve the agricultural sectors in their mother country
Ma shaa Allah. Ma bro this is what we need in our country keep going forward 👏👏👏
Masha’allah dear brother congratulation for your project actually am very glad to see this project insha allah you i’ll success.
Good Lucky.
Masha’allah dear brother congratulation for your project actually am very glad to see this proposl towards agriculture keep it goin insha’allah you i’ll success.
Good Lucky.
Masha’allah dear brother congratulation for your project actually am very glad to see this proposl towards agriculture keep it goin insha’allah you i’ll success.
Good Lucky
Masha allah bro mohamed such a inspiring project,glad to see our youth trying to help their next generation,looking forward to your success,am sure that this gonna be the change our country needs… Good luck for your project and future plans 💞
“The Somali Maize Revolution” reading this well prepared topic made me to look down the entire proposal, and I really surprised how Somalis will make use of if they could get an opportunity like this. I hope from those who can do any thing what ever it is in order to implement this project to hurry. to those who prepared this I hope there will be a lot of work to do well done M.Osman. and congratulations for the project.
this project is well siuted to Somali people because of food insecurity they have been in the past decades so i believe with the help of this project,Somalia will get benefit from this and do all the best things to your people Mohemed
this is the actual projects we need to improve our people in every country so in Somalia this will be great activity and it will alter many things about Somali’s food insecurity and repetitive famine.. good job mohamed
glad to see many of you is interested to my project and i strongly believe that this YAP2016 is easily benefited by Somali people
Interesting project mr mohamed you are doing alot for you country i am already a fan of your noble act, I support you from italy auguri
Hey mate what an amazing project congratulations and support you and hope this gonna change lots of ppls life..I salute you
thank you mohamed go forward
thank you pro
go forward
such an interesing project keep it up
very interesting and awesome project,i support you al the way from italy keep it up
thank you
go forward ,
thanks for this project and seems profitable to all our society which leads satisfactory outcome …. plze thanks for going forward we hope immediate implementation
i am once again pleased you are really satisfied with my proposal and it makes me feel so good becuase this is the time when i have to stand up for contributing something better to my people so thanks again
what shoul i say?! other then thanking >>>>
really it is so inspiring great project that is usefull and suit to somalia land , and this push us forward.
“”” you can do what others could do it, if there is awill there is away””
Excellent proposal Mr Mohamed, suitable for somalia, go forward, never tired for community development hope you good lucky.
I’m so sadden by this, why are you trying to trick my people into modernizing our agricultural sector? You propose that we bring in GMO’s, Insecticides, & Herbicides into our country. We already are spraying our crops with chemicals, this is not the solution but far from it. These chemicals have been linked to cancer, infertility, impotence, etc… We shouldn’t work against momma Somalia but work with her.
Hello mohamed,
but look how our country in term of production level is going through,so if some one is going to change the older and primitive farming system,why are opposing instead of supporting and even directing them in to proper work bro
Thnks bro mohamed for your hard work go ahead and don’t look your back hope you the best, you are citizen youngboy i wish all our youth to be like you insha allah
Viva Somalia